SB Nation - Hasheem Thabeet

The ACC Big Ten Challenge, and why I set myself up for disappointment.

Joe Kutsunis — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:56:10 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

So tomorrow night the Illini will travel to South Carolina to take on the #18 ranked Clemson Tigers, in the ACC Big Ten Challenge, or if you will the annual referendum on the quality of the Big Ten that only reaffirms preexisting opinions. I have a feeling this would a much harder name to make a logo out of, so the Challenge it is.

We all know the facts here. the Big Ten Conference has never bested the ACC in the Challenge, and what successes it has achieved are few and far between, and often paired with higher profile failures.See last years high profile Purdue and Michigan State losses to Duke and North Carolina respectively. These losses of course buried the fact that the Big Ten was one last second shot by the Illini away from actually winning the thing last year. It matters not of course, because the ACC did in fact win, and the media narrative of ACC superiority was preserved, the status was quoed as I like to say.

Fast forward to this year, and mighty North Carolina has lost a whole lot of talent, the entire first team All Big Ten returns, MSU is ranked #2 and over half of the Big Ten is ranked coming into the season. Even the Illini, who were one shot away from beating Clemson and taking the Challenge for the midwest look to be improved.

Fast forward yet again to this past weekend, where nearly every Big Ten team that played lost. Rankings come crashing down, RPIs take a hit, and the world is once again primed to reaffirm its belief that the Big Ten is bad at basketball because it has to play defense.

I know I am not supposed to get upset about this sort of stuff. The mature thing is not to get caught up in conference quality shouting matches and just worry about how your team does. To a certain point, I have arrived at that level of maturity with football, Ohio State can get pantsed on national television again this year for all I care. With basketball though, its not so easy. Maybe its because I think the national perception of the Big Ten by the worldwide leader and others is so so wrong that bothers me.

ESPN the magazine recently reminded America that "fewer NBA lottery picks have come out of the Big Ten than other conferences over the decade." and that this deficiency in talent was made plainly clear in the NCAA championship game last year between MSU and UNC. Yes you read that correctly, the same Michigan State that beat both Hasheem Thabeet and the now #1 ranked Kansas was clearly lacking in talent and got exposed by the Tar Heels.

I think the booyahs have gotten their college wires crossed on this one a bit. Basketball is not like the BCS, having MSU lose by double-digits to UNC in the Championship, is not the same as Ohio State doing the same in football. You know the thing everyone is clamoring for in football, the thing that's supposed to benefit the best teams and remove the handicap of having too strong or too weak of a conference from the equation, you know the playoff system? They have that in basketball. Having a team in the finals is a referendum on the quality of that team, not the weakness of the conference, and its an achievement that has happened fully 5 times over the past decade for the Big Ten, by 4 different teams.

So, let me get back to my original point, if the NCAA tournament, and the success of Big Ten teams therein is not enough to change national perception of the conference, maybe actually winning one of these damned ACC-Big Ten Challenges will.

I have thought that every year for what seems like my entire life, which is why I am always so disappointed when it doesn't happen.

Sleeping with the Enemy: Casual Q&A with 'The Owl's Nest'

CasualHoya — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:00:03 -0000

Continuing the esteemed tradition of Casual Q&A sessions with our enemies, Casual Hoya has joined forces with The Owl's Nest to provide you with some insight into tomorrow's opponent. Below you can find The Nest's responses to our hard-hitting questions about those pesky birds, as well as our replies to his inquiries about our Hoyas. Enjoy.

CH: Is former Owl great Mark Macon insane for trying to clean up the mess that former Gtown assistant Kevin Broadus left at Binghamton?

I don't think so. Mark Macon was a great player, and has been a great mentor as a coach. With these issues being resolved, Mark has the opportunity to makes things positive and form a new mold and image of this program (similar to what Temple football has had to do). I think Mark is in a great position to make a name for himself as a coach now, rather than the All-American player he used to be. It won't hurt to try.

Former Hoya player and coach, Craig Esherick and Temple’s current coach, Fran Dunphy are white coaches following legendary black coaches yet even Esherick’s impressive mustache (nearly identical to Dunphy’s) was unable to save his job – what have Dunphy’s biggest challenges been in rebuilding this program and will he be able to turn the corner?

The main challenge that Coach Dunphy has had to deal with is probably the level of talent he acquires in his recruiting classes. With all due respect to the Ivy League, Temple's athletic quality is plenty higher than what Fran Dunphy was getting with Penn. So far though, Coach has been able to implement the remaining players from Coach Chaney (ex. Dionte Christmas, Mark Tyndale, Ryan Brooks) with the newer guys he has brought in (Lavoy Allen, Juan Fernandez). It's somewhat obvious that Dunphy has done a tremendous job with what Coach Chaney left too, since 2 of Dunphy's 3 seasons so far have resulted in Atlantic 10 Championships and NCAA Tournament Appearances.

Did Coach Dunphy keep the 6 am practices? Has he challenged any opposing coaches to fistfights?

I'm not exactly sure about the 6 AM practices. I wouldn't think so though. That seemed to be a 'John Chaney' type of thing. As for fighting, Dunphy doesn't exactly come off as the mean and passionate type of heart Coach Chaney had. JC had no problem getting on the cases of the UMasses and Dukes who definitely had favored calls.

What are Temple’s strengths and weaknesses? How does Temple's perimeter game stack up? Who are the top shooters? Rebounders?

Strength: Experience. Even after losing 3 of last year's starters, the majority of the players on this team has a taste of success, and have in some way contributed to that. Lavoy Allen and Ryan Brooks, two of Temple's leading scorers, have stepped up the past two years to make up for lost pieces. Each year, there have been several players that have made impressive strides to only make the team better than the previous year.

Weakness: Go-to-guy. 2007 it was Mark Tyndale. 2008 it was Dionte Christmas (If you shut down Christmas, you most likely shut down Temple' offense). Now that both of these players have left, the two highest averages for scoring are just 10 points a game. It is a necessity that Temple consistently has guys that play huge roles in games, especially against a team like Georgetown. There will honestly be no "gimmies" or guarantees this year until players decide to take the helm.

The perimeter game has taken a hit with the graduation of Dionte Christmas. He lived by the 3 ball during his tenure at Temple. The top shooters on this team would be senior Ryan Brooks and sophomore Ramone Moore. The top guy, ironically, beyond the arc is 6'10" forward Craig Williams. When he's on, he's on. Juan Fernandez can shoot the ball from time to time, but he likes to make Steve Nash-like moves, and score the ball in the paint.

Down low, Lavoy Allen is Temple's main threat. With center Sergio Olmos graduating, he now holds most of the rebounding duties. Sophomore Micheal Eric has made strides to possibly be Temple's next center (he's 6'11", the tallest on the team).

What can Georgetown expect out of this year’s Temple squad?

Georgetown should expect a much faster pace game. Temple's overall starting five is much quicker going down the floor compared to last year, and doesn't necessarily slow up to set anyone up for a shot. At the same time, the Owls manage to protect the ball well in doing so (fast breaks). Temple's scoring has primarily comes from mid range jump shots and layups. Juan Fernandez will truly confuse you when handling the ball. He's elusive and makes tricky passes.

Defensively, the Owls have switched back and fourth through man to man, and that signature 2-3 zone. Ryan Brooks and Ramone Moore have quick hands, and can poke the ball out to generate a fast break. Brooks and senior guard Luis Guzman would most likely cover the opposing teams' playmaker. Down low, Micheal Eric and Lavoy Allen are extremely athletic on the defensive side of the ball. They have great windspans and length that allow them to get a number of blocked shots and quick rebounds.

After being waived by the 76ers in camp, Temple legend Dionte Christmas was recently arrested on firearms charges. Prior to Christmas, I believe the last Owl to even sniff the NBA was Mardy Collins, famously loved by Isiah Thomas and consequently hated by the entire city of New York. First question: What was it like to celebrate Christmas at Temple? Second: Do you see anyone on Temple's roster having professional talent? And speaking of talent, how are Temple's cheerleaders?

What you might not have realized is that the charges were dropped due to the fact that the firearm was not his. The car and gun belonged to current Sixer and former Florida Gator Mareese Speights, and Dionte was merely charged with driving without a license.

Dionte Christmas was a great basketball player and an even better human being. His play through his four years with Temple generated a ton of interest in Temple Basketball, as well as put the Owls back on the map as a constant NCAA tournament invite. He will be missed as a Temple basketball player, but also as a great human being in the community.

I would say Lavoy Allen has the best show of playing professional ball. He's still young as a junior, and has yet to reach his full potential. Only time will tell though-- there are plenty of players who have the change to emerge as key impact guys.

I think you guys will enjoy our cheerleaders.

Pats or Genos for cheesteaks?

Either one. I'm a fan of both. Also like Tony Lukes.

See our responses to The Owl's Nest questions after 'The Jump'

The Owl's Nest: It's been quite some time since the Owls have faced the Hoyas. The teams' last matchup was during the '04 season, where the Owls defeated Georgetown 75-57. What have been some of the main changes that John Thompson III has made to this team since his first year, where his team finished out with a record of (16-11)?

The biggest change has been Coach Thompson bringing in his own players. The team he inherited had some tremendous talent but over the past few years, Coach Thompson has done even more to keep local stars here (including McDonald’s AAs Chris Wright and Austin Freeman). Each year, Coach Thompson has had NBA caliber talent but after being dominated on the interior with Hibbert, then on the perimeter with DaJuan Summers (a legendary underachiever), there should be a better balance this year.

For the most part, it looks as thought there are no seniors on this 2009 team. How do you think the majority of the team being juniors and sophomores affects their performance? Do you think the leadership role is divvied up, or could you give us an idea of who fits that spot?

There was a major chemistry issue last year though it appears to have been resolved as the upperclassmen moved on. As noted above, Coach Thompson has kept the locals together and those guys have been playing against one another for years – establishing bonds both on and off the court. Gtown also does a great job keeping the kids in town over the summer and playing in the Kenner League. On top of that, the freshman most of us expect the most from – Hollis Thomson – has been on campus for almost a full year practicing with the team and should be able to blend in immediately.

The team has gone through some changes over the past year but I’d guess that the leader will be Junior Chris Wright – he’s the point guard and very assertive (not always in a good way) and seems to be establishing more trust with Coach, making him the proverbial coach on the floor. Junior Austin Freeman and Sophomore Greg Monroe also play pivotal roles on the team.

What style of play do the Hoyas have on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball? Who are the team's go-to-guy, and most reliable producers?

Coach Thompson runs elements of the Princeton offense so the games are generally lower scoring and the Hoyas run only when they’ve clearly got numbers. Defensively, they apply solid pressure but really only out to the three point line. They’ve consistently had size and shot blockers so they collapse in the paint well but rebounding has been an issue recently.

No doubt that the go-to-guy is Greg Monroe (note below) for both scoring and rebounding. Everyone expects that Chris Wright and Austin Freeman will take major strides this year too – the key to them is that they can put the ball on the ground in contrast to Monroe really needing someone to get it to him in the post (though he did freak Hasheem Thabeet off the dribble last year).

In 2007 it was Jeff Green. In 2008 it was Roy Hibbert. Who do you think is the next talent to enter the NBA on this Georgetown squad?

Simple: Greg Monroe. He would have been a Top 5 pick last year and he opened up in front of his New Orleans home crowd with a nice 18 point game. After that, it gets more difficult to predict with both Wright and Freeman being undersized. Hollis Thomson has the type of length and athleticism the league loves but he still appears to be a few years away from that goal.

I know it's extremely early, but do you have any predictions for the way this season could potentially turn out for your team? How do you think Tuesday night will fare?

Season’s a tough one but the #20 (AP) ranking looks pretty solid right now. Figure the Hoyas for just over 20 wins on the season with a Top 5 Big East finish.

Tuesday will be an unusual made-for-TV game and there probably won’t be a ton of fan support. We’ll wait for the Vegas lines but with this both Gtown and Temple opening with convincing road wins, this will probably be a close game with the Hoyas coming out on top. The Monroe-Lavoy Allen should be a nice matchup of 2 athletic big guys.

The dictionary definition of a "hoya"<http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hoya> describes some sort of shrub/plant of the milkweed family. However, Georgetown's mascot is a bulldog. Where does the relation between this plant and the bulldog derive?

Hoya refers to neither the plant nor the bullbog. The cheer stems from the chant Hoya Saxa - which means "What Rocks" in a combination of Greek and Latin. Georgetown was once called the Stonewalls and an ingenious student came up with the chant. This of course can not be fully confirmed since it happened over 100 years ago. But in this day and age, Hoya has come to represent those who are able to Google "What is a Hoya." Those incapable of doing so (80% of West Virginia) are not Hoyas.

Casually.

Big East Media Day Commences: What Will the Coaches Predict?

Hire Esherick — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:07:38 -0000

via www.officialwire.com

The Big East Conference Annual Media Day starts today in New York City. It is a two-day event where coaches and players talk about expectations for the upcoming season, lessons from the past and dreams for the future. In sum, every coach will compliment every other team and talk about how great and competitive the league is. Nothing special, except for the predictions. This is where it gets interesting. Last year the coaches weren't too far off actual finishes, other than the fact they failed to predict the final ranking of all 16 teams.

Below are the predicted rankings, actual finishes, and how far off the coaches' were in their predictions.

Ranking	Predicted	Actual	Spots Off
1	Connecticut	Louisville	+2
2	Louisville	Pittsburgh	-1
3	Pittsburgh	Connecticut	-1
4	Notre Dame	Villanova	+6
5	Villanova	Marquette	-1
6	Marquette	Syracuse	-1
7	Georgetown	West Virginia	+5
8	Syracuse	Providence	-2
9	West Virginia	Cincinnati	-2
10	Providence	Notre Dame	-2
11	Cincinnati	Seton Hall	-2
12	Rutgers	Georgetown	+3
13	Seton Hall	St. John's	-2
14	St. John's	South Florida	-1
15	DePaul	Rutgers	+1
16	South Florida	DePaul	-2

The coaches also pick the best players in the conference. The only surprise from last year was the complete dismissal of DeJuan Blair, who was Big East Rookie of the Year in 2007-08 but not selected to the Preseason Big East Team in 2008-09. He ended up winning Player of the Year along with Hasheem Thabeet. Conversely, coaches thought too highly of DaJuan Summers, as he was selected to the Preseason All-Big East but did not even receive Honorable Mention honors at the end of last season. The coaches did pick Greg Monroe as Preseason Co-Rookie of the Year and he ended up going home with the award at the end of the year, and not having to share it either.

I predict Monroe nabs preseason honors this year in a much weaker conference. Georgetown will also be picked to finish 4th in the conference, behind Nova, UConn and WVU. This is what I said five months ago, I still stick by it.

Let the games begin.

Good talk.

Player Previews: The Time is Now for Steven Gray

Zach B — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:02:43 -0000

Steven Gray will be relied on greatly in 2009-10. While he came to Gonzaga as a sharpshooter, his skills now may be better fit for a more complete role.

View full size photo »

When we talk about the strengths and weaknesses of this year's Gonzaga team, there is no doubt that the experience lies in the backcourt. Specifically, two players in that backcourt will be looked upon to be leaders of this very young team. Matt Bouldin is obviously the face of this team but there is one more player that must step up this season for the Zags this season and that is Steven Gray. Gray, a junior shooting guard came to Spokane from the Seattle area with plenty of hype as he was part of that vaunted 2007 recruiting class. Now, as he is about to begin his third year at Gonzaga, Steven's role will certainly be increased a great deal. The question I think that most Gonzaga fans have now is how will he react to the pressure that will come with this season. While it is impossible to question the talent that Gray has, last year was a difficult one for him. He struggled throughout the season to find a consistent rhythm and battled a nagging hand injury that really affected his abilities as the sharpshooter that we all saw his freshman year.

While injuries are never a good thing, especially ones that have such a direct effect on a player's strength, Steven's hand injury seemed to force him to attack the rim more and use his size and speed to create his own shot. A great example of this and one that we often point to was the game against Connecticut in the Battle in Seattle. His best game in a Gonzaga uniform, Gray was the one consistent force all day long and put the team on his back as Austin Daye and Josh Heytvelt were in foul trouble and guards Matt Bouldin and Micah Downs were largely ineffective. Steven attempted 16 field goals that day and connected on ten of them. He finished with 23 points and only one of those made buckets was from three-point range. He had no trouble getting to the rim and used great body control to make shots. After that game, Steven seemed to have turned a corner and started playing good basketball but the hot streak didn't last and his contributions as well as his time on the court really started to deteriorate. As we look towards this season and what this team needs Steven to be, I hope that he is able to watch that film of the UConn game and realize that if he can do that against Connecticut which at the time had Hasheem Thabeet, Jeff Adrien and many other skilled big men, he can do it against anyone.

Looking back on last season's production for Steven Gray, it is pretty safe to say that he came into the season with huge expectations after a very stellar freshman campaign. Although he didn't play the first ten games of that season, he immediately became an integral part of the offense upon his return. He filled his role well and finished his first year at Gonzaga with a three-point shooting percentage of 46%. His performance in Gonzaga's first round match up against Davidson made Zag fans salivate at the thought of his potential. He connected on seven threes and finished with 21 points and looked to be the only Bulldog guard interested in playing that day.

Steven played in every game his sophomore season but he only averaged .4 minutes more per game than his freshman year. He was constantly battling Micah Downs for time on the court and the two typically wound up splitting the time pretty equally. This seemed to greatly affect Gray's consistency throughout the season. For example, after the Connecticut game, he went on a nice little run where he scored in double figures six of the next nine games but after that, quality offensive games were few and far between. In fact, he was only able to get in to double figures four of the next 15 games. The cause of this poor production is difficult to decipher because it wasn't like he was out there casting up three-point shots. There were some games where he would shoot five or six a game and connect only on one but, overall, most of the time he only attempted two or three and would soon disappear from the flow of the game. We've talked about his slump but it is worth noting that all of his percentages went down pretty drastically from his freshman to sophomore year. His three-point and free-throw percentage both dropped more than ten percent from '07 to '08.

One of the main things that has always been a point of contention when people discuss Steven is his attitude on the court. Gonzaga has always been a school that has produced emotional players. Whether it was because they played with that mid-major chip on their shoulder or they were just a little off mentally, people that leave the Gonzaga basketball program tend to have no issue letting emotions fly. This is a big reason why the program has been so effective in the past. When you have emotional players, they have no reservations about making impulse plays and taking over when the need arises. When we look at Steven Gray's overall demeanor on the court, it is obvious that he is very reserved. He has a very laid back persona that I think is fine when you are a freshman or sophomore on a team full of veterans. But now that he is a junior on a team where he is now one of the elder statesmen, that mentality is no longer acceptable.

I honestly believe that Steven's production will be a direct link to the type of attitude he brings on the floor. If we see his three-point attempts increase from last year's total of 142, I think he'll be in for another difficult year. The key for him, like I said in the opening, is to avoid becoming one-dimensional and merely relying on the three-point basket. For this to happen, I think there has to be an understanding among the coaches about the kind of player Steven is. When he was recruited during high school, his best assets were his ability to move without the ball and come off screens and nail the mid-range or deep jumper. Often times last season he became a spot up shooter and he never seemed to get into the rhythm of coming off a screen like we saw in his freshman season. His mid-range game will be great to this team when you consider that guys like Matt Bouldin, Manny Arop, Grant Gibbs, Meech, and GJ all feel more comfortable getting to the rim. Steven also has the ability to get to the rim and I feel like that will best be utilized when he is moving without the ball and creating mismatch opportunities due to his size. Another avenue which he can take when creating his own shot is by using the pump fake. When coaches (especially in the early season) game plan for Gonzaga, they will have to account for Gray's ability to knock down the jumper and I think that opposing teams will be so dedicated to getting a hand in his face that he will be able to throw in a pump fake and get himself into the lane.

Besides Matt Bouldin, I don't think their are any greater expectations on an individual player's shoulders than there are on Steven Gray. If you asked most die-hard fans of the program, they would not see it as unreasonable to expect him to be in the running for leading scorer on this team. His shooting stroke, size, and deceptive quickness should make him one of the toughest match ups in the conference and hopefully by the end of the year, he will be one of the toughest in the nation.

Tales of a Zag: GJ Vilarino's Wild Ride to Gonzaga

Zach B — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 19:45:55 -0000

Pictured here in 2008 at the Boo Williams Invitational, GJ Vilarino looks to be one of the next great Gonzaga point guards.

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There's something special about players that come out of recruiting hubs like Texas, California, and Florida. Each state dominates prep sports in their own way and carry specific connotations with them. Kids from California are smooth and outgoing. The ones from Florida are often described as ridiculous athletes and intuitive on the field or court. Prep athletes from Texas are usually described as gamers; tough kids that have spent hours upon end working to perfect their game. Kids from these three states are also so appealing because they have been playing high level competition probably since they were in sixth grade, and they have to battle every day to keep their name from being forgotten in states where it is easy to fall out of fortune. For Gonzaga's GJ Vilarino, the spotlight was quick to locate him in the star-studded state of Texas and he made sure that it never left.

GJ Vilarino attended McKinney (TX) High School, located in a suburb of Dallas/Fort Worth. He was anything but a late bloomer from the get-go in high school. He wasted no time standing out in the state of Texas and really impressed scouts right away in AAU ball. Typically high school players make their way up through the ranks in AAU ball going from the 15s, to the 16s, before finally arriving at the Elite 17's. GJ's skill set brought him to the top right away and in 2006, when he was just finishing up his freshman year at McKinney, he was already drawing attention at the highest level. From a piece done by Scout.com in March of '06:

While playing up two levels in terms of age, G.J. Valarino averaged 11 points in two outings. He’s already been to the adidas SuperStar Camp and showed well. "He had like 11 points every game and that’s consistent for a freshman making his debut against the 17s and top guards,

Taking part in this tournament as well were current NBAers DeAndre Jordan and Hasheem Thabeet and star Oklahoma Sooner Willie Warren.

continue reading after the jump for more on GJ Vilarino...

The recruiting process has obviously gotten extremely in depth with the various team-specific sites on Rivals and Scout seemingly covering every AAU tournament and high school game they come across. The SuperStar camp was just the beginning of what became an outstanding summer for GJ. He received praise at every tournament he played in. He stood out at the Pangos Camp and was one of shining stars at the Nike Hoops Jamboree. The summer led into his sophomore season where he already had a laundry list of high-majors showing interest. In a March 2007 post from Rivals.com, GJ's father, Gerry outlined his sons suitors:

"Right now we have A&M and Baylor's obviously offered him and those are the one's that have said they've offered him already," said GJ's father Gerry Vilarino. "I know Kansas is pretty close to offering but they haven't, and Connecticut is really interested and so is UCLA.

The Texas A&M offer and interest came when Billy Gillispie was the head man there and GJ had always been attracted to Gillispie so when he accepted the job at Kentucky, the combination of a coach he loved and a program with the prestige of Kentucky was too much to ignore. So, at the end of his sophomore year and before his recruitment really heated up, GJ called off his recruitment and committed to Kentucky and Coach Billy Clyde Gillispie. With his commitment, the pressure was off GJ but a nasty ankle injury suffered at the end of his sophomore season at McKinney sidelined him for a while before his second go around at an AAU summer.

You can't discount GJ's desire to play with and against the best talent in the nation. In 2008, he played for the adidas national team with some of the best prospects in the nation including Lance Stephenson (Cincy), Derrick Favors (Georgia Tech), and Renardo Sidney (Mississippi St.). He also played a full slate of AAU games with Team Texas but he kind of became the forgotten man among the Kentucky 2009 recruiting class which was to be expected with such an early commitment. He impressed the scouts at ESPN however in this August of 2008 writeup:

This quick lefty has good speed and quickness with the ball. Although thin and wiry, Vilarino is fearless and competes at all times. He pushes the ball in transition and can finish with speed to the rim with his left hand. He runs the offense in the half court and has a pass first mentality. A good athlete for his size that can penetrate and kick but has trouble finishing against the trees inside. He is a good decision maker and puts pressure on the defense by always probing and looking for an opportunity to create.

GJ's senior season was a great capper to a wonderful prep and AAU career. He average nearly 20 points a game and earned all-state honors in Texas. Things weren't going so great for Billy Gillispie. There are few jobs in sports that demand as much as the head man at Kentucky, whether warranted or not and after a few years, Billy Clyde was no longer wanted by the Kentucky faithful. Inconsistent play on the court leading to some terrible home losses alienated the Kentucky fanbase and by the end of the 2009 season, Gillispie was out. GJ was poised to remain committed to Kentucky as long as the new coach expressed interest in keeping him in the plans. When John Calipari was introduced as the new head man at Kentucky, it became clear that GJ was not his brand of point guard. In a story from Kentucky's Rivals.com affiliate:

"Last night, I had a chance to speak with coach Cal, and he told me that he thought GJ was a really good player but he hadn't seen him play in almost two years," said the player's father, Gerry Vilarino. "He went on to say that he typically, in his system, likes bigger guards and that GJ was definitely welcome to come to Kentucky, but he didn't want him to feel like -- and I don't remember the exact words -- but it was something to the effect of not wanting him to feel like he was misled and didn't know that he'd likely get covered up by bigger guards.

An admirable move by Coach Calipari (oxymoron?) to tell Gerry Sr. what kind of guard he preferred meant that young GJ was back on the open market. This news attracted teams from all over the country. The Vilarino's were forced to make a quick decision being that the 2009 cycle was nearly complete. Teams of interest in GJ's case were Cincinnati, VCU, Oregon, Georgia, and Gonzaga. The rise of the Bulldogs recruitment was quite interesting as Coach Ray Giacoletti outlined in an exclusive interview with The Slipper Still Fits:

Well, with GJ, he was born in Spokane so he was a guy that had spent a year in Spokane, his mom was a big Gonzaga person and obviously with this being his place of birth, it's a place he has followed over the years. And then they contacted us when he got out of his LOI at Kentucky. He had four or five different people he wanted to talk to. He committed so early that sometimes it's not good, and I'm not saying it was the case with GJ, but the process has gotten so moved along nowadays that it is nearly impossible to project how kids are going to be three years from now when they commit as freshman

Seemingly a match made in heaven, GJ decided to take a visit to Gonzaga and committed immediately afterwards. In an interview with Scout.com, Gerry's enthusiasm for his sons decision was obvious.

"I think that ultimately he made the decision way too fast and ultimately he needed to probably make a better, informed decision than he made the first decision. Nobody would have ever thought Coach G would have lost his job after two years. Maybe he couldn’t have done anything differently. This has worked out for the best."

GJ has been working out with Mark Few and the rest of the Gonzaga roster this summer and has shown quite well thus far. In our interview with Coach Leon Rice, he noted that GJ was a heady guard with outstanding athleticism. For some reason his lanky build reminds me of a Rajon Rondo type player. He is a smooth driver and penetrates the lane with remarkable ease. His shot needs plenty of work but granted he takes the time to add strength and improve his jumper, GJ's career at Gonzaga will be ridiculously successful.

With everything he has gone through and as battled-tested as he is, I can't imagine it being anything but a wonderful marriage between Gonzaga and GJ.

Solomon Alabi: Four Factors Evaluation

TrueCubbie — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 03:35:32 -0000

Last year, we were introduced to the phenomenon that is Solomon Alabi: All-ACC Defensive Team, All-ACC Freshman Team, ACC Rookie of the week twice, seventh freshman to lead the ACC in blocks. His list of accolades is extensive and is even more impressive in light of the fact that he only started playing organized basketball in his junior year of high school.

As the 2009-2010 basketball season is rapidly approaching, there is a lot of buzz surrounding Alabi. Many sources identify him as a top ten pick in the 2010 draft. Can Alabi repeat or improve on his performance from 2009? Take a look inside as we take an advanced stats look at Alabi's development.

Image from here.

As many of you know, or will soon discover, I am a member of the Ken Pomeroy School of Basketball Statistics and have significant confidence in Tempo-Free stats and their application to basketball discussion, evaluation and prediction. Many of Pomeroy's statistics are derived from Dean Oliver's book Basketball on Paper: Rules and Tools for Performance Analaysis. The foundation of their evaluation of a basketball team is based on the "Four Factors": effective FG% (eFG%), Turnover Percentage (TO%), Offensive Rebounding Percentage (OR%) and Free Throw Rate (FTR). These stats are typically used to evaluate the overall performance of a team, particularly their skills without the ball, and are the basis of the development of the efficiency stat. While these stats are very useful for team statistics, I think they can translate well for the initial evaluation of a player. It is not a perfect correlation, but provides a nice frame work from which to start before getting into position specific analysis. Clearly, eFG%, TO% and OR% will vary depending on a player's position. So it would not be fair to compare a point guards TO% to a center's TO%. A point guard handles the ball much more often and will likely have more turnovers and a higher TO%. A center obviously has more opportunities for offensive rebounds. I think you see what I'm getting at...but comparing one center's OR% to an others is fair game.

Solomon Alabi became a household name in the homes of ACC Basketball fans during the 2009 season. After sitting out the majority of his freshman year as a result of injury, Alabi made an immediate impact in 2009, earning numerous honors along the way. He became a dominant defensive player and served as the foundation in the paint for the Seminole defense. His presence allowed them to play aggressive man to man defense with the comfort of Alabi in the paint in case they were overly aggressive. Expectations are exceedingly high for Alabi in the upcoming season. Will he live up to those expectations? The data indicate that the answer is a resounding yes.

Offensive Rating

The offensive rating (ORtg) is a measure of player efficiency. Simply put, the higher the better. Last year Alabi finished with a rating of 102.9. As a reference, Toney Douglas finished with a ORtg of 115.1, which was 183rd in the nation. Hasheem Thabeet, considered by many as the best center in the country, finished with an ORtg of 117.9 or 103rd in the nation. Remember, Thabeet was a junior as Alabi was only a red shirt freshman coming off an injury on a very young team. I think this says a lot about what we can expect from Alabi:

Clearly, there was a significant improvement in Alabi's efficiency. As the offense developed and his minutes increased, Solomon became more efficient. The fact that he became more efficient as he had more playing time is they key point. A nice way to think about a player's contribution is the following:

Skill Curves: Since 100% of team possessions must be used by the offense at all times — and there is an inverse relationship between %Poss & ORtg — there is a lot of “extra” offensive value (beyond a player’s ORtg, that is) in simply creating shots and using those possessions. This is the idea behind what Dean Oliver called “skill curves” in Basketball on Paper… Basically, as a player’s role in the offense increases, his efficiency will go down because he’s having to take shots of increasing difficulty; at the same time, he’s boosting his teammates’ ORtgs because they don’t have to take those tough shots anymore. This is why someone like Michael Jordan was so valuable — he was able to maintain an ORtg of 120-125 even while assuming 30-35% of the Bulls’ possessions when on the court, which in turn diverted defensive attention away from his teammates and created easier chances for them as well. So here are some rules of thumb: Players who have both a high ORtg (>110) and a high %Poss (>23) are offensive stars; players with a high ORtg and a low %Poss (<17) are good role players who may be able to take on more possessions and still maintain a reasonable efficiency level; players who have a low ORtg (<104) and a high %Poss are probably not suited well for their role and need to shoot less; finally, players with low marks in both categories are either defensive specialists or scrubs.

From here.

Solomon finished the season with an ORtg of 102.9 and a %Poss of 20.3. His numbers are mixed based upon the above definition. He had a low ORtg but his possessions were not that high, which really places him in the defensive specialist category. However, this is his Ortg for the season, which is likely lower than it will be due to his relatively slow start. He was timid and was almost too much of a gentleman on the court. As his confidence in his skills, and his injured leg increased, his ORtg increased.

Four Factors:

Again, using the four factors for player analysis isn't perfect, but it allows common terminology to be used.

This is a busy graph. I recommend turning off all of the "Pct" lines and only looking at the trend lines, which are more important in the argument that is trying to be made. Solomon's eFG% increased significantly throughout the year , even as his floor percentage increased. Meaning despite playing more minutes, getting more possessions and taking more shots, his eFG% went up. Keep in mind that eFG% is significantly increased by 3 point FG percentage. Meaning if you hit some threes, it will go up as they are more heavily weighted. For Solomon, who attempted 1 3 point shot all year, his eFG% increased throughout the year. He finished the year with an eFG% of 54.0. Hasheem Thabeet finished with n eFG% of 64%. However, Alabi finished the year with an eFG% of 59%; he started at 49%. Thabeet started at 65% and decreased to 62%. (The stats are slightly different depending on which source you use.) The bottom line is that Alabi got better as the season progressed, despite the fact the more teams were aware of his presence and tried to shut him down.

The other key factor to notice in this graph is that his TO% decreased throughout the season despite increasing minutes. He went from turning the ball over in 1 in 4 possessions to 1 in 5, roughly. Interestingly, his FT decreased significantly. He only shot 75 free throws on the year. I don't have a great explanation for this: his minutes went up, his FG attempts went up but his FT attempts went down despite having a FT% of only 68%.

Other stats:

The other notable stats for Solomon are his OR%, DR% and his Block%.

If you only look at the trends for these statistics, you will likely fall out of your chair. First, look at the magnitude of change in the stats, it is only a couple of percentage points. Plus, we must look at the definition of these stats to understand why there might be a drop as the season went on. Solomon's numbers for blocks and rebounds remained relatively constant throughout the year.

Solomon's numbers really didn't change despite increased minutes. He needs to improve his numbers in these categories to be an elite player. Granted, his Block% earned him the 16th rank overall in the nation. The OR%, DR% and Block% are a percentage of the possible rebounds and blocks that the individual gets while he is on the floor. More minutes means more opportunities. Despite increased opportunities, his numbers did not increase and therefore his percentage went down. This is likely due to improved competition and that teams started to recognize the importance of Alabi in Florida State's success.

Conclusions:

Alabi is on track to become an elite center at the collegiate level. He has put on a good ammount of muscle in the off season. Adding weight and muscle at 7'1" is a diffcult task and any increase should be considered significant.

Photo from here.

Also, look at Ryan Reid in that photo. It looks as if he has lost some weight in the off-season. Currently, the basketball team is in Spain playing exhibition games. This is an unbelievable experience for the team, not only for going to Europe but for developing chemistry. Alabi scored 19 points in their first game against Euro Colegio Cavi Villaviciosa de Odon. More on the story here. I have tried to find more information about this team but I have been unsuccessful so far. Florida State won the game 101-53, with 6 players scoring in double figures. This is badly needed experience for this team. The more they can run their plays against competition the better.

Based on the trends that Solomon demonstrated during the last season, he is on track to become a dominant player in the ACC. He was not utilized in the most efficient manner last year. However, I expect his possessions and shot percentages to increase significantly in the upcoming year. Despite the fact that Solomon could make the jump to the NBA next year, I have a feeling he is committed to academics and could stay to finish his degree. This is extremely optimistic thinking, but I think it is realistic.

Deadliest Warrior - Big East vs. Hollywood

Hire Esherick — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:02:48 -0000

What do you get when you combine boredom, the August work lull, a challenge from a reader and an awesome TV show? The answer is obvious: an incredibly random, absurd and amusing to some but pointless to others blog entry.

After a recent trip to Los Angeles and Vegas, I was challenged to somehow compare the two celebrities / athletes I had the pleasure of meeting / stalking from a distance: Fabio and Hasheem Thabeet. First off, I challenge you to name a better celebrity to see in Los Angeles than Fabio. An informal poll at an airport bar proved this point, as two participants originally responded Brad Pitt and one awkwardly contended Richard Simmons but then agreed that Fabio trumps all.

In response to above mentioned challenge, I present: Deadliest Warrior - Hasheem Thabeet vs. Fabio.

For those who have never seen the show, it basically matches two characters or groups against each other in battle and then hypothesizes which would be victorious based on a defined criteria and analysis of weapons and battle tactics employed. Or simply put, it is visual awesomeness, more sweet than drunk lax bros wearing backwards AND upside-down visors.

First, a look at the warriors.

Hasheem Thabeet

via fantastiksports.files.wordpress.com

Tall and mysterious, Hasheem dominated the paint for the UConn Huskies for three years before being selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the second overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. He hails from Tanzania and was named Co-Big East Player of the Year in 2009.

Fabio

via cm1.theinsider.com

If you look up the definition of hunk in the dictionary, you will probably see my picture. But below my picture, it might mention Fabio. Fabio, a man who's fame allows him to be referred to by only one name, is a fashion model who entered the national spotlight by posing for romance novel covers and promoting butter spreads.

The warriors will be judged in three categories: (1) Hand-to-Hand Combat, (2) Communication and (3) Special Skills & Weapons.

Hand-to-Hand Combat

The sign of a great warrior is the ability to defend himself without the use of machines or weapons. The match-up between Hasheem and Fabio poses an interesting question: which is more important, size or strength?

Hasheem: At 7'3'', Hasheem Thabeet is a giant among boys with a gargantuan 7'6'' wingspan and 6.7% body fat. An extreme physical specimen, Hasheem has been put through the toughest and most grueling conditions and emerged intact. His main weakness stems from a common trait among UConn players, tendencies to be lil' b*tches. Evidence of such can be found in the below video, where a much smaller DeJuan Blair flips the towering Thabeet over his shoulder with a simple nonchalant tug of an arm.

Fabio: With a chiseled chest, rock hard abs and flowing and golden locks of serenity, Fabio seems better suited for a catwalk than the merciless and vicious grounds of battle. But don't be fooled by the movie-star looks, Fabio is a warrior. Take the below video as evidence, the man took a goose to the face during a roller-coaster ride and walked away to tell his story. Never forget: The man who fears nothing is as powerful as he who is feared by everybody.

Result: Hasheem comes out attacking but tires after five minutes of intense physical battle. As per the usual, Hasheem looks to others for help, either to his ethically-deviant coach to yell at the refs and then over-hype his abilities in post-game tirades, or to teammates to take on the burden of man-to-man defense while he relaxes in the paint and swats an occasional shot. Unfortunately, this is hand-to-hand combat and Thabeet does not have the luxuries he was afforded at UConn that allowed him to swindle a co-Big East Player of the Year title. Fabio observes patiently as his opponent weakens and finishes Thabeet with a swift head-butt. Winner: Fabio

Communication

Communication is key in battle. It is as important for your fellow warriors to understand your instructions as it is for your opponents to not. This category looks at the communication skills of both warriors.

Hasheem: With a deep and booming voice, Hasheem is able to communicate across great distances with a simple yelp. Difficult to duplicate and reminiscent of the baritone pipes of warrior-elite Dikembe Mutumbo, Hasheem's commands are often only decoded by close caption experts.

Fabio: Although of Italian descent, Fabio has an incredibly monotonous and generic European accent which makes it impossible to disguise communication from opponents. Due to this deficiency, Fabio found work posing for novel covers, where a simple flash of the pearly whites was sufficient to draw readers to the trashy novels. But the battlefield is no novel cover, and Fabio is unable to covertly command his troops. His speak is eerily similar to Arnold Schwarzenegger's in Kindergarten Cop - a favorite of all warriors.

Result: With the ability to disguise his commands and transmit them over long distances, Hasheem is clearly superior to Fabio. Winner: Hasheem

Special Skill & Weapon

Every warrior has a special skill or weapon, and it is often used only during the most extreme circumstances, when the difference between life and death is less than a breath.

Hasheem: As would be expected of any player trained by Saint Calhoun, Hasheem specializes in stretching the boundaries of acceptable play. His go-to defensive move is to roll over and play dead, often utilized during the end of close games. The tactic involves Hasheem faking an injury when fouled so Calhoun can replace the big man, who is a horrific from the free throw line, with a guard who excels from the line. The tactic proved so beneficial that the NCAA banned its use for the upcoming season.

Fabio: Through a lucrative contract with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, Fabio has a lifetime supply of the butter-like spray. This slippery and transparent film proves remarkably valuable in battle as it serves as an oil slick to disrupt transport, a lubricant to aid man-to-man battle and a blinding mace to strip opponents of vision.

Result: Despite the obvious advantage of the butter spray, it cannot help Fabio when Hasheem acts like a wuss and plays dead. The incredibly pathetic tactic employed by Hasheem proves more valuable as it gives an opponent a false sense of confidence during battle when the big man lays down to fake injury. Winner: Hasheem

With a 2-1 advantage, Hasheem Thabeet out-duels Fabio in the first ever Deadliest Warrior battle between the Big East Elite and the Hollywood Hunks. On a side note, if you have made it this far in reading this crap, you lost as well.

Good talk.

DaJuan Summers Drafted By the Detroit Pistons in 2nd Round

CasualHoya — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:48:26 -0000

On a night when Big East rivals Hasheem Thabeet, Jonny Flynn, Terrence Williams, and Earl Clark were all taken in the top 14 picks, Georgetown's DaJuan Summers was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 5th pick in the 2nd Round (35th overall).

ESPN's Chad Ford:

5 (35) Detroit (from Minnesota) DaJuan Summers 6-9 243 SF Georgetown

The Pistons seriously considered Summers at No. 15, so they are thrilled to get him at No. 35. Summers is a fantastic athlete, can shoot the ball and can play both the 3 and the 4. This is a great pick this late in the draft.

With the 30th and final pick in the 1st Round representing Summers' last shot at a guaranteed contract next season, the Cleveland Cavaliers took a small forward from the Republic of Congo.

If it's any consolation to Hoyas fans, Summers was picked ahead of Pitt's Sam Young and DeJuan Blair, and Syracuse's dynamic duo of Paul Harris and Eric Devendorf will likely be looking for playing time in Romania after not being drafted at all.

Summers ranks 29th all-time in scoring at Georgetown (1,129 points), seventh in three-pointers made (141), eighth in three-pointers attempted (403), and helped lead the Hoyas to three straight postseason appearances (two NCAA Tournaments, one NIT).

More to follow tomorrow.

Hoya Saxa.

RIP MJ.

Casually.

D-Day for DaJuan

CasualHoya — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:07:29 -0000

The 2009 NBA Draft day is here, and with all of the pre-Draft workouts and meetings now concluded, our main man DaJuan Summers has done all he can at this point to achieve his goal of being selected in the 1st Round.

In his latest Mock Draft, Chad Ford at espn.com has Summers falling out of the 1st round and heading to Detroit in the #35 slot:

35. Detroit Pistons (via Minnesota)

DaJuan Summers | F | Georgetown
Summers has buzz just about everywhere, but if he falls this far in the draft, I think the Pistons would have to take him. Summers ability to play the 3 and the 4 will really be attractive to Detroit.

Spanning a few other mock drafts across the interweb, DaJuan just sneaks into the 1st round here and here, but drops into the 2nd round here.

Our friends over at Slam really like DaJuan's potential in the land of false SAT scores as a piece of the the Memphis Grizzlies rebuilding effort:

I see DaJuan Summers being a Lamar Odom-type for our squad. We already have our understated orchestrator at point (Mike Conley), two dynamic swing man (O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay), a brawny, scoring power forward (Marc Gasol) and a rebounding, shot-blocking center (our No. 1 draft pick, Hasheem Thabeet). That’s our starting five.

What we get with Summers is a natural 3 that can shoot and handle, plus he’s got court vision. He’s 6-8, 241 pounds—that means he can spend some time at the 4 in spot-duty. Truth be told, he can sub sporadically at the 2-guard spot. He’s that versatile. He’s a bit raw, but we have time for him to develop.

In addition, NBA Analyst David Aldridge lists Summers as one of his Draft Sleepers:

I’ll give an example, DaJuan Summers had what most people would say kind of an average, below average year for Georgetown, but I think he’s going to wind up being a pretty good pro. He’s has a lot of physical skills and gifts and might wind up showing you more in the pros than he did in college

If Summers is indeed selected in the 1st round, he will join Jeff Green in 2007 and Roy Hibbert in 2008 and mark three consecutive years that a Hoya has accomplished that feat. This streak will reach a fourth consecutive year in 2010 with the likely departure of Greg Monroe, and naturally extend into 2011 with the graduation and immediate lottery selection of Nikita Mescheriakov, whose remarkable ability to hit the side of the backboard on threes from the corner is matched only by his spellbinding talent to dribble behind his back through traffic in the lane and hand the ball to the opposition.

Will DaJuan Summers be a serviceable pro in the NBA? Scouts range in their comparisons of Summers from the next Trevor Ariza to Tim Thomas to Donyell Marshall. If Summers can get his act together I can certainly see an Ariza-type ceiling for him, though unfortunately from what I saw out of him during the latter half of his junior year season on the Hilltop, that seems about as likely as Lucas Glover winning a U.S. Open.

Like so many of the other eligible draftees tonight, numerous questions surround Summers. Will he emerge in the NBA as he did when, as a freshman, he developed as a valuable scoring option and drew comparisons to being the next Jeff Green?

Will he perform as he did in the 2007 NCAA Tournament, helping the Hoyas with his gritty play both underneath the basket and behind the arc in the heart-stopping win over Vanderbilt in the Sweet Sixteen? When he scored 20 points (including the ferocious throwdown in OT on Tyler Hansbrough) in the remarkable Elite 8 win over North Carolina?

Will he rise to the occasion like he did as a sophomore, appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated and hitting the game-winning three-pointer to lift the Hoyas to a 55-52 win over Louisville and clinching the Big East regular season title?

Or will he, as Hoyas fans Witnessed all too often last season when, as a junior and the unquestioned team leader, displayed an unnerving tendency to vanish on the court when we needed him to show up the most?

Regardless of when he hears his name called tonight, it will finally close the book on the team that took Hoyas fans through that magical journey to the Final Four. For that alone, perhaps we should look back at DaJuan's career and embrace it for the wonderful memories it brought us, and at least for one night, forget about what could have been.

Casually.

2009 Draft Coverage: Big Deals Today & Latest Draft Buzz

dishingoutdimes — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:24:00 -0000

More photos » by Richard Sennott - AP

Minnesota Timberwolves new president of basketball operations David Kahn has been very busy. They wanted to make a big splash in the draft and it looks like they are lined up to do so. (AP Photo/The Star Tribune, Richard Sennott)

Browse more photos »

Let's start with the breaking news that Washington and Minnesota have agreed to a deal. First, the report from Yahoo! Sports:

The Washington Wizards have agreed in principle to acquire Minnesota Timberwolves guards Randy Foye and Mike Miller for Etan Thomas, Oleksiy Pecherov and Darius Songaila and the fifth pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, a league executive with knowledge of the deal told Yahoo! Sports. The teams are still working out details but the deal is expected to be consummated.

The Wizards Get: Randy Foye, Mike Miller

The Wolves Get: 5th pick, Etan Thomas, Oleksiy Pecherov, Darius Songalia

This becomes very important because now the Timberwolves own the 5th pick, the 6th pick, the 18th pick and 28th pick - all of which are in the first round. Four first round draft choices is pretty absurd! The Wolves will be able to make a huge impact in the NBA Draft. However, now we have competing rumors about what the Wolves will do now that they own back-to-back picks at 5 and 6. First, Sam Amick from the Sacramento Bee who tweeted this:

Rubio may be about to come off the board. Don't be shocked if Minn. packages 5 and 6 for No. 2 from Memphis.

This may be true, and if they grab the 2nd pick I would imagine that they would select Rubio. However, I also heard that if they managed to get the 2nd pick that they would take Thabeet. However, according to Alan Hahn, the Wolves may not even trade in the first place:

ESPN.com is citing a source saying the T-Wolves won't package both picks to move up even more, which counters the theory that the may double-down to get the No. 2 and Ricky Rubio.

More of the latest draft buzz after the jump!

Right now, there's not much that anyone can do but wait and see. In fact, the deal between the Wizards and the Wolves is not even official yet, it's just extremely likely. Personally, I would have to agree with Alan Hahn. If the deal goes down as stated above, the Wolves just lost two starting-caliber players, and so I would have to think they're going to go out and try to get as many quality players in the draft as possible. And yet, the Timberwolves apparently like Rubio a lot, so it also wouldn't surprise me if they traded up. Additionally, it's possible that the Wolves don't trade 5 and 6 for the 2nd pick. They might trade 5, 18 and 28 for the 2nd pick and wind up with the 2nd pick and the 6th pick, which would still be a pretty good position to be in.

Meanwhile, in the other big news of the day, the Bucks appear to be shooting for an entire new roster. The first trade, per Yahoo! Sports:

The San Antonio Spurs have agreed to acquire Richard Jefferson from the Milwaukee Bucks, league executives told Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday. The deal, first reported by Yahoo! Sports, has the Spurs sending veterans Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto to the Bucks, who are looking to shed the remaining two years, $29.2 million on Jefferson’s contract for the Spurs’ expiring contracts.

Then, they decided to turn around and trade Oberto to the Pistons almost immediately. I found this quote from Sporting News via the SBNation blog Motown String Music:

A busy predraft day just got busier for the Milwaukee Bucks. A source tells Sporting News that the Bucks, after trading Richard Jefferson for a trio of Spurs—Fabricio Oberto, Bruce Bowen and Kurt Thomas—have traded Oberto to Detroit for young power forward Amir Johnson. A Bucks source has confirmed the deal.

Quick Hits

The Bobcats are looking to trade for Samuel Dalembert of the 76ers. (Source)
The Thunder hired a Barcelona law firm (Source). This is said to be just in case they draft Rubio. But answer me this: (1) how many other teams have hired law firms to deal specifically with Rubio? (2) how many other teams have hired a Spanish law firm? (3) why would you spend money on a law firm for a specific player unless you intended to draft him? To me, all the recent chatter seems to point to the Thunder leaning in the direction of drafting Rubio. If they are paying this law firm, I sure hope they do, or they're wasting their money!
Sean May will be available, as the Bobcats failed to make a qualifying offer. (Source)
According to Andrew Marchand (source) the Grizzlies will not draft Ricky Rubio. They are looking at Thabeet, Evans, Harden and Curry, with Thabeet being the most likely selection. A bit earlier he cites contradictory sources that say the Knicks are interested in trading up for Rubio, but the other source saying that the Knicks like Curry more than Rubio.
According to the ESPN Draft Blog, the Grizzlies will take Thabeet at 2 if they don't trade.
Barring any trades in the top 3 it's looking like Griffin to the Clippers, Thabeet to the Grizzlies, and Rubio to the Thunder.

5 (35)	Detroit (from Minnesota)	DaJuan Summers	6-9	243	SF	Georgetown
The Pistons seriously considered Summers at No. 15, so they are thrilled to get him at No. 35. Summers is a fantastic athlete, can shoot the ball and can play both the 3 and the 4. This is a great pick this late in the draft.